Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Puzzle by Gary Whitehead, edited by Will Shortz
Featured in today's crossword puzzle with JAM (56D. What 20-, 37- and 53-Across may do) are the inter-related entries of LASERPRINTER (20A. Desktop publisher’s need); RUSHHOURTRAFFIC (37A. Commuter’s woe); and HARDROCKBAND (53A. Def Leppard, for one). Three types of jam in which the printer can be kaput, traffic will eventually clear, and that hard rock band is on a roll!
Animals get a fair amount of play, including CHEETAH (14D. Spotted speedster); OCELOT (24A. Wild cat); OTTO (30D. “Beetle Bailey” dog); GOOSE (49D. The Cratchits’ Christmas dinner); AFLAC (32A. Company with a spokesduck); GOATEED (49A. Like Duchamp’s “Mona Lisa”); and ORTIZ (26D. Baseball’s Big Papi). Edibles include MAC and cheese (lunch dish) (1A.); EDAM (15A. Cheese town); SESAME (47A. Bagel choice); MOLDS (64A. Chocolatier’s gear); and, of course, that GOOSE -- but not JAM!
Other long entries include the seven-letter FLATBED (40D. Tow truck type) and ESTEEMS (23A. Regards highly); the six-letter HELPME (4D. “S.O.S.!”); SENECA (8D. Tutor of Nero); SOCCER (46D. Game with a team of 11); and SMARTS (45D. Common sense).
The bulk of the puzzle is in its log jam of five-letter entries: AFIRE, AHEAD, APEAK, ARABS, AREAS, ATEAT, COAST, DDAYS, EATON, EFILE, ENTRE, FUGUE, INRED, JIVER, LOOFA, LSATS, MILLE, NIXON, ODORS, OILER, PLAZA, REICH, SAPPY, TOSCA, TOWER. Four-letter entries: ANTE, AUDI, DENY, DORY, EDAM, EEOC, ETTA, HOST, IDEO, IOWA, IROC, LEAH, LORE , IDEO, NOSE, REOS, SARI, SLID, TMEN, and YSER. Three-letter: AGA, BUT, ITO, NES, ORO, OTS, PIX, PLO, SEA, TIE, VEL, YEN…
…and JAM!
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